Josh Barnett sits down with Pridefc.com to discuss his strategy for his upcoming match in the open weight semi finals round at FINAL CONFLICT ABSOLUTE this September.

Pride Fighting Championships: Many fighters began studying jujitsu after watching Royce Gracie in the UFC. Why haven't you studied jujitsu?

Josh Barnett: When Royce was active in the UFC, I was already doing judo and wrestling. I knew that being able to fight on the ground was necessary for mixed martial arts. I felt there were a lot of weaknesses when I looked at jujitsu. For example, they don't have tackles or suplexes, and the jujitsu ground fighting is passive fighting style. As a fighter, I absolutely did not want to fight passively. I wanted to fight aggressively, attacking. That's why I didn't do jujitsu. When I tried "catch as catch can", and combined it with the wrestling skills I already had, an extremely effective style was born. I realized that I could work on my opponent's nerves and pressure him, not just try to put submissions on him. Both jujitsu and "catch as catch can" are martial arts based on submission but a big difference is that jujitsu is a "gentle art" while catch is an extreme martial art.

Pride: By the way, how long did you do judo?

Barnett: About two years. My college football coach had a black belt and he showed me how to use judo techniques in football. I love martial arts and I wanted to do martial arts, so when I saw judo, I knew it was a very strong martial art. I was especially interested in the joint locks.

Pride: PRIDE will make their debut in America in October. Would you like to be the ace of their American shows?

Barnett: I don't want to be ace of just the US or Japan. I want to be the world's ace. If you're number one, you're the ace no matter where you are.

Pride: You've had the experience of fighting in both the UFC and PRIDE. What do you think the chances of PRIDE exceeding the UFC?

Barnett: I think it's possible, of course. To do that, you just need to get the fans that normally watch the UFC to come to the PRIDE event once. That's all. If you do that, I think they will realize that PRIDE's show is more amazing, there is more energy and that there is more excitement in the venue. The people I know that have been to both events all say the same thing. PRIDE was better. Everyone says that the UFC doesn't even compare.

Pride: You're known for being a fan of Japanese superheroes. Do you have any heroes in the US?

Barnett: The fans and trainers that support me are heroes to me.

Pride: I've wanted to ask you this for a while but why are you so fascinated with "Fist of the North Star"?

Barnett: It's cool, like Ultra-Man. I'm just a fanatic. (laughing)

Pride: Finally, a message for the fans.

Barnett: What kind of pose should I do after the fight to make the fans happy? That's what I want to know so I'm waiting for your e-mails. (laughing)